Author Sarah Dungca / Cats and Cat Behaviour /
It is a sad fact that in North America, black cats are the least likely felines to be adopted. Estimates in many Canadian shelters show that in many cases, they take at least twice as long to find a home then do their more colourful counterparts. Having worked and volunteered in shelters myself, I was so often saddened by this reality. I would watch people stop at the cages of tabbies or calicos, and then simply pass by any containing black cats. My colleagues and I would see beautiful grey or white or spotted cats come in, and with so many people applying to adopt them we knew they would be in a new home in a day or two. Sadly, not so for the black cats, who were so often ignored- for no reason other than the colour of their fur. Knowing this, we would make an extra effort to go around and visit the forgotten black beauties, just to make sure they felt loved and adored too.
It seemed so strange to me, as I myself have grown up with black cats my whole life ( my dad until recently had five) and I have fostered many over the years, including the below beauty, Vesper, who we foster with Forgotten Ones Rescue. I might be biased ( and don’t get me wrong, I LOVE all cats) but I have always found black cats to be among the most gentle and affectionate. So why do they take so long to be adopted?
Sadly, some people associate black cats with bad luck and witchcraft ( although interestingly, in Britain, they are often seen as good luck omens). This was so true in fact, that for many years, shelters throughout Canada and the states would avoid or refuse outright to adopt out black cats in the month of October- fearing they might be adopted as accessories, and then returned after Halloween, or worse, fall victim to animal abusers. Research now shows, that at least in Canada, this fear is unfounded. In fact, some shelters have even chosen to use Halloween as a clever marketing tool to find black cats their forever homes. Another reason is that they simply do not stand out in the same way- the dimly lit cages in most shelters mean that black cats might just fade into the background- and as many photos of available cats are actually taken with the cats in their cages, it is also true that they do not stand out as much in the photographs shelters take of them. Some shelters have tried to get creative around this issue, making collars out of colourful flowers or ribbons, or making sure they have bright towels in their cages for contrast.
What's worse, is that the stigma and challenges these beautiful animals face in shelters contributes to a final issue- there often just so many of them waiting to be adopted. It’s a strange thing, but humans have a penchant for rarity- and so with so many black cats waiting to be adopted in shelters, people are even more likely to pass them by for what they see as the rarer, more unique animal.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Spread awareness! October is officially, BLACK CAT AWARENESS MONTH- so you can do your part by spreading the word on your social media, or simply, by telling all your animal loving friends. You can further do your part by going to volunteer at your local shelter, or rescue centre--just make sure to spend some one-on-one with all cats and kitties wearing black. And finally, you could consider adopting a black cat. Not only are they super stylish (and match with any thing) but they are truly adoring and affectionate animals. Giving a home to any rescue animal, but in particular one who has been waiting for a long time in a shelter environment, is something you simply will not regret.
Waterloo Park Pets is a local pet services company operating in the uptown area of Waterloo. We offer group and private dog walks, puppy socialization, cat visits, as well as basic small animal care. Contact us today if you want the best for your pets.
